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By Oliver Bowles

WAR necessities have spurred inventive genius in many fields. A grinding mill without any moving grinding parts stirs the imagination. Among the new and striking accomplishments in the heterogeneous group of nonmetallic industrial minerals is the use of an electric arc to speed up manyfold the difficult and delicate task of drilling a microscopic hole in a diamond, the hardest of all known substances. Outstanding in the field of optical research is the ability that man has developed to improve upon nature by making in the laboratory optical crystals many times larger than those usually found in rocky crevices. These are merely samples of numerous events and circumstances of noteworthy import, many of which are recorded in this review. Termination of the second World War in 1945 permits an appraisal of the effects of the conflict and the probable effects of the coming restoration of a peacetime economy on the nonmetallic mineral industries. Some industries were stimulated greatly by the war, notably mica, quartz crystal, graphite, spinning asbestos, potash, fluorspar, barite, and refractories. The large-tonnage industries connected with the building trades, however, were forced to curtail their activities, except where their products were needed for wartime construction. Their reconversion to peacetime production will not be difficult.

Jan 1, 1946

By Marlin J. Veesaert

Urban quarries offer one of the greatest opportunities for profit in nonmetallic mining with limited financial risk-if properly evaluated, planned and developed to meet market needs. Location, with respect to market, is the prime consideration. Geologic considerations and quality of rock are nearly as important. Cost factors and return on investment (ROI) are the principal financial considerations. Risk of capital is determined by weighing all factors that should be considered and how well judgments are based on information acquired. It is a simple, true axiom of business that an investment must be founded on amount of capital required with its expected return plus profit, expertise required to operate, and time involved. Urban quarries generally offer excellent stone product market opportunities. Costs of land with mineral containment and processing operations are much greater than in rural areas. Environmental problems have become increasingly severe. Competition from other quarries in the market area is usually directly proportional to the profit attractiveness. Risk of capital (initial, developmental and operational) can be evaluated and reduced only by thorough analysis of the entire situation. Time and money expended on planning and preliminary investigations probably represent the most productive investment of available company resources. Basic Reasons to Establish a Limestone Quarry Profit Motive: Certainly the dominant and overriding motive must be that of attaining a reasonable profit. In certain situations a quarry firm may acquire land, necessary rezoning (if required), and satisfy all of the other prerequisites preparatory to beginning operations but delaying the actual development.

Jan 1, 1980

Rooms With Bath Rooms Without Bath Name Location Double Single Double Single Astor Times Square, 43d St. and $5.00 up $4.00 up $4.00 $2.50 up Broadway Belmont 42d St. and Park Ave. 6.00 up 5.00 tip 5.00 3.00 up Breslin 29th St. and Broadway 5.00 up 2.50 up 4.00 up 2.00 up Hermitage 42c1 Street and Broadway 4.50 up 2.50 up 3.50 up 2.00 up Imperial 32d St. and Broadway 4.50 up 3.00 up 3.50 up . 2.50 McAlpin 34th St. and Broadway 4.00 up 3.00 up 3.50 up 2.50 up Manhattan 42d St. and, Madison Ave. 6.00 tip 4.00 up 4.50 up 3.00 up Martinique 32d St. and Broadway 4.00 up 3.00 up 3.00 up 2.00 up Monticello 35 West 64th St. 2.50 up 2.00 up Navarre 38th St. and Seventh Ave 3.00 up 1.50 up 2.50 tip 1.50 up Plaza 58th St. and Fifth Ave. 6.00 up 4.00 up, Prince George.... 28th St. anti Fifth Ave. 3.00 up 2.00 up York 36th St. and Seventh Ave. 3.50 2.50 up 2.50 1.50

Jan 1, 1919

By H. OSBORG

THE patent literature of alloys for the last two decades or so indicates that the number of liatents referring to smaller and smaller percentages of essential alloying constituents is on the increase, whereas the number of patents relating to considerable percentages of alloying additions becomes smaller. The claims regarding physical properties indicate consistently higher and more rigid values and show the possibility of modifying the physical properties by only slight changes in the percentage of minor constituents or by applying different methods - of treatment. Alloys of the same base have been made suitable for a number of different applications by intelligently and rigid- ly controlling their composition, melting, casting, working, and heat-treatments. Other trends indicated in the development of modern alloys are higher corrosion resistance, higher fatigue limits, and "stability" in volume.

Jan 1, 1937

February 18th, 1873. THE Institute assembled in the Hall of the Boston Natural History Society on Tuesday evening. Dr. T. Sterry Hunt, of the Boston Institute of Technology, after a brief address of welcome to the Institute, read an introductory paper on the Geognostical History of the Metals. President Raymond responded to the welcome of Dr. Hunt. The following names were then presented to the Institute, with the recommendation of the Council, for election Adams, J. M., - Silver City, Idaho. Daggett, Ellsworth, - Salt Lake City, Utah. Geist, Alfred W., - Boston, Mass. Hays, Dr. S. Dana, - Boston, Mass. Heinrich, Oswald J., - Midlothian, Va. Johnson, J., - Braidwood, Ill. Leckie, Robert G., - Actonvale, Canada. Lyman, Edward, - Troy, N. Y. Maltby, William, - Braidwood, Ill. Nichols, Lyman, Jr., - Boston, Mass. Ordway, Prof. J. M., - Boston, Mass. Rand, Theodore D., - Philadelphia, Pa. Richards, Prof. Robert H., - Boston, Mass. Rockwell, Prof. Alfred P., - Boston, Mass. Roepper, Charles W., - Bethlehem, Pa. Schulz, A. von, - Central City, Colorado. Singer, William F., - Pittsburgh, Pa. Spillsbury, E. G., - New York. Wells, Calvin, - Pittsburgh, Pa. The session concluded with the reading and discussion of a paper, by Henry Engelmann, On the Mines and Ores of the Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah. The second session was held on Wednesday morning, when the following papers were presented; On the Midlothian Coal Mines, by Oswald J. Heinrich. On the Probable Existence of Microscopic Diamonds in California, by Prof. Benjamin Silliman.

Jan 1, 1873

Albert Ladd Colby, New York, N. Y. (communication to the Secretary†):—I observed (Trans., xxxvii., 585) that to obtain tenders from several American mills, the foreign engineer should modify his maximum phosphorus to 0.10 per cent., not as Mr. E. Windsor Richards quotes me, that no American rail-maker can produce rails under 0.10 per cent. of phosphorus. Mr. Richards claims that no English engineer would agree to accept 0.10 per cent. of phosphorus on any terms whatever. Mr. Webster writes that only after an engineer has .been convinced that rails can be made in America equal in every respect to those he is getting abroad, should he be asked to modify ally conditions in his specifications. I know it to be a fact that during recent years in many cases, as, for instance, When delivery could be secured more promptly in the United States than in Europe, the consulting engineers of several British and colonial railroads have frequently agreed to modify their phosphorus requirement to a maximum of 0.10 per cent., and the rails delivered' under these modified specifications have, under like conditions, given just as satisfactory service and proved to be no more brittle than similar sections of 0.07 per cent. phosphorus rails, rolled in England under the same specification except without modification as to phosphorus. Furthermore, it would appear from the analyses of British rails, quoted by E. A. Dancaster,2 in his discussion of Mr.

Jan 1, 1908

By Betty J. Laswell, Gerald W. Laswell

The stepped-up pace of US open-pit and surface mining during the 1970's is a direct response by mining firms and equipment manufacturers to rising costs and declining ore grades. In the race for bigger and more efficient machines, rotary drills have emerged as the foremost leader in primary drilling at major US surface operations. At least 12 different manufacturers now offer rotary rigs in the 102- mm-diam. (4-in.) or greater blasthole size range. With capital investment for the larger units quickly approaching $1 million, the question is asked, "What's been the performance record to date of rotary drill rigs operating in North America?" To answer that question, a comprehensive study of rotary blasthole drills was conducted which qualitatively reveals various problem areas inherent in the rotary drill market and indicates some new directions for improvement.

Jan 6, 1978

By Salinger, Herbert

WITH the large amount of metallurgical re- search work now being done and the constant effort of the engineer to effect economies of operation, I think it is a safe prediction that the next few years will see a great change in the handling of mine products. The well-managed mine, with sufficient ore reserves to warrant the necessary plants, will increasingly call upon the metallurgist and chemist for the solution of its problems. Shipping sorted ore or concentrate to the nearest smelter will not be the course followed. From ore to metal, or at least to a product directly salable to the consumer, will be the practice followed. As a consequence, mine managers will be increasingly interested in metal trade problems. By metal trade I mean the buying, selling, shipping, handling, and all the practices, forms and customs that go to make up the trade.

Jan 1, 1928

GEO. F. COMSTOCK,* Niagara Falls, N. Y. (written discussion?).¬A study of this paper raises a question on which it is hoped Mr. Stork will throw more light; that is, why does an oxygen content generated on poor melting conditions have a deleterious effect on the properties of the iron, while an oxygen content generated by the oxidation of steel scrap in the cupola is beneficial to the strength and chilling ability? In each case the oxygen is absorbed at the same time and place in the process of melting and it is by no means clear why the superiority of semisteel should be assigned solely to its oxygen absorption, when oxygen absorbed without the steel addition is admitted to be injurious. It is not apparent why oxygen caused to be absorbed by the steel addition should not pro-duce the effects of burning, sluggishness, slag inclusions, gas occlusions, etc., the same as oxygen absorbed by the iron in the cupola for any other reason, and it would seen that other factors to which he has not given sufficient emphasis must enter into the author's results. To an impartial reader of this paper, who was most favorably inclined toward J. E. Johnson, Jr.'s theory of the improvement of cast iron by oxygen, the discrepancy in the author's reasoning or statements is difficult to accept, and it is hoped that an explanation will appear in the final discussion.

Jan 11, 1919

By E. Northcott, I. M. LeBaron

Before describing the electrostatic processing of feldspar, it might be well to review some of the basic definitions and terminology of feldspars. The feldspar minerals constitute a group of alumino-silicates of potassium, sodium, and calcium. Barium feldspar sometimes occurs naturally but is very rare. Hardness varies between 6 and 6.5 and specific gravity between 2.5 and 2.8. Color is generally white or pale shades of red, yellow, or green. The approximate chemical composition of the principal feldspars is given in Table I. The albite (sodium aluminum silicate) and an orthite (calcium aluminum silicate) feldspars are the end members of a series called plagioclase. These two molecules form a complete solid solution series ranging from pure soda feldspar at one end to the pure lime feldspar at the other end. Intermediate solid solutions are known as oligoclase, andesine, labradorite, and bytoconite. The general structure throughout this series is the same. Sodium and calcium may replace each other and silicon and aluminum may replace each other in the structure.

Jan 10, 1958

At the office of the Chief of Engineers, Washington, there is a unique collection of engineering material used and developed in the present war. It. is a most interesting group of war devices, from the special trench shovel that excavates both gas and water, to the standard gage locomotives that were sent to France so complete that they were lifted from the ships by cranes, placed on the-rails on shore, filled with water, fired up, and moved out from underneath the cranes under their own steam. Everything is exhibited either by models, or by photograph where the original samples are too large to admit of demonstration in an ordinary office. The forestry section has an interesting exhibit of the wonderful work clone in France; where, owing to the shortage of coal and the necessity for burning wood, the Forestry Unit of the A. E. F. in one month stacked up 60 mi. of cord wood (80,000 cords); also cut 6.6 mi. of timber, stacked 12 ft. long, and 10 ft. high, containing 50,000,000 hoard feet of sawed timber.

Jan 3, 1919

The Second Pan-American Scientific Congress will be held under the auspices of the United States Government in Washington, D. C., Dec. 27, 1915, to Jan. 8, 1916. The organization officers are John Barrett, LL. D., Director General of the Pan-American Union, Secretary General; Glen Levin Swiggett, Ph. D., Assistant Secretary General; the headquarters of the Congress are the Pan-American Union, Washington, D. C. The program of the Congress is divided into nine main Sections, which are given below with the name of the Chairman of each Section: 1. Anthropology, William H. Holmes, B. S., Smithsonian Institution, Washington. 2. Astronomy, Meteorology, and Seismology, Robert S. Woodward, Ph. D., Carnegie Institution, Washington, D. C. 3. Conservation of National Resources, Agriculture, Irrigation and Forestry, George M. Rommel, B. S., Bureau of Animal Industry, Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 4. Education, P. P. Claxton, LL. D., Bureau of Education, Washington, D. C.

Jan 12, 1915

By Henry M. Howe

Henry M. Howe, Bedford Hills, N. Y. (communication to the Secretary.)*—Mr. Johnson's explanation, that the rounding of the graphite masses in oxygen-bearing cast iron is due to their being in part reprecipitated after re-solution in forming carbonic oxide temporarily with.that oxygen, is certainly most attractive and suggestive. It remains to be shown whether this rounding occurs also when the solidification is too rapid to permit this process to go on. J. E. Johnson might easily test this by casting a single ladleful of his oxygenated iron in masses of varying size. If this present hypothesis is true, then the rounding ought to increase progressively with the size of the casting, and with the distance from the outside, that is to say with the time available for re-solution and reprecipitation. I question whether a like benefit is to be expected even on this hypothesis, from the oxygenation of steel. The spheroidizing of graphite does good because graphite itself is so weak. But the constituent which can be spheroidized in steel is its cementite, which is a source of strength. Lamellar pearlite, in which this cementite in effect forms long den-drites, is far stronger than divorced pearlite, in which these dendrites have been broken up into spheroids. Even the surfaces of contact between ferrite and cementite are probably sources of strength because of the amorphous iron which probably fills them.

Jan 1, 1917

By Henry M. Howe

HENRY M. Howe, Bedford Hills, N. Y. (communication to the Secretary.) +-Mr. Johnson's explanation, that the rounding of the graphite masses in oxygen-bearing cast iron is clue to their being in part re-precipitated after re-solution in forming carbonic oxide temporarily with that oxygen, is certainly most attractive and suggestive. It remains to be shown whether this rounding occurs also when 'the solidiification is too rapid to permit this process to goon. J. E. Johnson Might easily test this by casting a single ladleful of his oxygenated iron in masses of varying size. If' this present hypothesis is true, then the rounding ought to increase progressively with the size of the casting, and with the distance from the outside, that is to say with the time available for re-solution and re-precipitation. I question whether a like benefit is to be expected even on this hypothesis, from the oxygenation of steel. The spheroidizing of graphite does good because graphite itself is so weak. But the constituent which can be spheroidized in steel is its cementite, which is a source of strength. Lamellar pearlite, in which this cementite in effect forms long dendrites, is far stronger than divorced pearlite, in which these dendrites have been broken up into spheroids. Even the surfaces of contact between ferrite and cementite are probably sources of strength because of the amorphous iron which probably fills them.

Jan 1, 1917

Fourteen members of the Board and officers nf6re present; and seven guests. Prof. E. K. Judd was appointed Managing Editor of the Institute's publications.

Jan 11, 1917

By AIME AIME

BEGINNING Thursday, July 16, the National Broadcasting Co. is broadcasting from 6:30 to 6:45 p.m., over its nationwide network and possibly also by short wave a series of eleven radio programs dealing with the contributions of engineers to the prosecution of the war. The series is being arranged and sponsored by a committee of representatives of the national engineering societies, R. L. Sackett, chairman. The committee began its deliberations before Pearl Harbor and had scripts under way on blackouts, bombs, and damage to structures. The declaration of war emphasized the importance of the proposed radio program. The National Broadcasting Co. and the Office of Civilian Defense enthusiastically endorsed the committee's proposal and have been generous in their help and approval of scripts so far submitted. Controversial matters are included in the broadcasts and changes will be made when requested by O.C.D. up to the minute that a program goes on the air. In this way the latest and authoritative information will be given.

Jan 1, 1942

By A. N. Rogers

Jan 1, 1883

By R. W. Raymond

ALL history testifies that the mineral resources of a region have furnished both the impulse for its first development by man, and the foundation for its subsequent occupation by civilized and prosperous communities. In the pre-historic ages, the hunters, fishers, shepherds and gardeners of the world may have wandered or tarried without regard to the attractions of the mineral deposits which they could not utilize, and therefore did not value. But with the rise of civilization, as expressed in manufactures and commerce, the national value of such deposits began to be realized. Barbarous and remote tribes, possessing the sources of such supplies, won recognition in trade long before they could attain it through any other means. Thus, the North American Indians of Lake Superior exchanged their native copper for the mica of North Carolina; the ships of Tyre sailed all the way to Spain for lead and to Britain for tin; and the fleets of Solomon brought gold from Tarshish. In more modern times it has been chiefly the precious metals that have stimulated exploration and conquest. The inherent qualities and the traditional value of gold and silver sufficiently explain this historic fact, the continued existence and potency of which is evidenced, even in our own times, by the occasional rush of eager adventurers to new districts where gold and silver have been discovered. The history of North and South America has been peculiarly influenced by this factor. It was the prospect of obtaining gold and silver that led the Spanish adventurers to the shores of America, and the conquests of Mexico by Cortez and of Peru by Pizarro were inspired by the stories of the wealth of the Aztecs and the

Mar 1, 1909

By R. R. French

Investigations were conducted by the lndiana Geological Survey for some dry methods of bene-ficiating low-grade gypsum ore. Seventy-two batch and continuous flow tests were performed with a roller mill, rod mill, pebble mill, electronic color sorter, electrostatic separator, and an air separator. Approximately 650 size analyses and 550 chemical analyses were performed during the investigation. Batch samples were tested by the Survey, and most of the continuous flow tests were handled by com-mercial laboratories. INTRODUCTION Although many companies producing gypsum have been interested in dry beneficiation, very little information has been published in the past. One of the most comprehensive investigations was reported by the Canadian Department of Mines.5 Other reports of interest have been published by the Canadian Department of Mines,' the South Australian Department of Mines,2 and the U.S. Bureau of Mines.3 Some beneficiating practices, such as hand picking, selective mining, crushing and screening, milling, and air classifying, were already in use in the Canadian industry prior to MacPherson's investigations.5 MacPherson examined the effect of tabling, air separation, screening, flotation, electrostatic separation, calcining, washing, and various types of milling, in his efforts to eliminate dolomite, limestone, and small amounts of silica and clay from the gypsum ore. RAW MATERIAL Gypsum and anhydrite occur within the lower part of the St. Louis Limestone (Mississippian) in southwestern Indiana. Gypsum in single beds 10 or more ft thick occur at Shoals, Martin County; near Freedom, Owen County; near Bloomfield, Greene County; and in the Devonian strata of LaPorte County. Only the Shoals deposit has been exploited commercially. The western edge of the Shoals deposit is contaminated by a continuous bed of shale, about 1 1/2 to 2 ft thick, near the top of the evaporite and by thin continuous strata or irregular masses of carbonate rock. The low-grade material used in these investigations was obtained from the waste pile of the National Gypsum Co.'s plant at Shoals. The waste ore averaged about 67.4% gypsum and was contaminated by various amounts of shale, dolomite, and limestone. All the material had been previously crushed and screened to minus 1 1/4 to plus 3/8 in. X-ray analyses of powdered, sedimentated, gly-colated, and heat-treated samples of the shale showed that it was composed of slightly structurally disordered illite, Fe-rich chlorite, and very finegrained disseminated silt. The clays and silt were partly cemented with carbonate material. Light-gray argillaceous limestone and gray or brown porous dolomite made up most of the carbonate rock contamination. Crushing Characteristics: The rate unweathered gypsum, carbonate rock, and shale reduce in size was determined by crushing handpicked samples in a rod mill and screening at minus 100 mesh (.0059 in.). Fig. 1 graphically represents the data. These data indicate that carbonate rock should be relatively easy to separate from gypsum, but that shale should be difficult to separate from gypsum by differential crushing. Controlled Samples: Eight rod mill tests of hand-picked samples of mixed gypsum and shale and mixed gypsum and carbonate rock were made. Sample weight and crushing weight were standardized, but the scalping screen size was varied from 3 to 10 mesh (.265 to .0787 in.) in order to obtain the optimum purity and recovery. The data obtained from the tests (see Table I) illustrate that the relatively hard carbonate rock allows appreciable beneficiation (13.6 to 18%), but the low strength gypsum and shale allows only minimal separation (3.1 to 7.5%).* Semi control led Samples: During the investigation considerable slaking of the shale was noted when the ore was subjected to alternate wetting and drying. As demonstrated in laboratory tests, as much as 76% shale can be removed by two cycles of wetting and drying in a 48-hour period with subsequent screening at .265 in. Five ore samples, stockpiled and weathered, were screened, rod-mill crushed and rescreened at .157 or .187 in. with excellent results (Table 11).

Jan 1, 1967

By H. W. Gillett

CLYDE WILLIAMS has reminded me that in the fall of 1929, gave, in MINING AND METALLURGY, an account of the hopes and aspirations of Battelle Memorial Institute, which was then just swinging into initial operation; and that therein I remarked that B.M.I. should stand, as well, for Better Metallurgical Industries, since helping to better them was the Institute's aim. So he has suggested that some of the betterments of the past fifteen years might well be listed. A yearly summary of progress comes pretty close to the ultimate in futility, for everything proved of value in that year had its inception in earlier years, and everything really new has still to be proved. Plenty of things hailed as wonderful achievements for that year, by some enthusiasts invited to contribute to the summary, turn out in later years to be inglorious flops. But over a decade and a half, betterments that are really such become self-evident, and recounting some of them can be done without guesswork or wishful thinking. An inventory of what was known and utilized in 1929 compared to what is now known and used is not too hard to make. Perhaps the most clear-cut picture of what is known and used at a certain date is drawn by the handbooks, textbooks, and equipment catalogs of that date, with scientific periodical literature forecasting what knowledge may later be used when it is verified and assimilated. The tools available for production or for research limit the application of old and the finding of new knowledge.

Jan 1, 1945